Heart of Darkness
by LadySpindle
Summary: "Nobody's born a monster. We're made. The product of a cruel world filled with cruel people." Before she was the Jabberwocky, she was a girl, a human girl, born with inconceivable power. Power that could make her the most revered ruler in Wonderland, or it's most bitter villain... A Jabberwocky back story told in a series of drabbles. Rated T for lots of death.
1. Sìnead

**I've been toying around with the idea of writing a back story for the Jabberwocky. Although it might ruin some of her mysterious charm, I really enjoyed delving deeper into her character and trying to decipher just what kind of person she might have been. This is just my take on her back story, I couldn't find any material as to what her real back story may have been. If you love it, great! If you hate it, write your own.**

**I drew inspiration from many other characters with similar situations, namely Elsa (out of control power), Loki (parental/family strife), and Tom Riddle/Voldemort (using power for evil purposes). **

**The chapters will be uncharacteristically short for me (My normal chapters hover around the 4,000 to 8,000 word range), but I thought it would be interesting to submit the bits of the story almost like a series of drabbles. Basically every page break I made as I typed cut off a new chapter. **

**Enjoy and let me know what you think! **

* * *

"Sìnead"

* * *

"We'll call her Sìnead," the father, Sorehr, declared.

"It's perfect," the mother, Pazele, agreed, cradling her newborn, swaddled in a blanket. The baby stared back at her parents with bright hazel eyes.

The girl grew, and it soon became apparent she was unlike the other girls in the Tulgey wood.

Sìnead could make people do what she wanted, animals too. She could hurt them, if she chose.

But Sìnead didn't want to hurt anyone, she didn't understand what was happening to her.

Her parents knew: their toddler possessed incredible magic.

Dark magic.

They found her in her room, curled up in the corner, a semi circle of dead animals at her feet.

"What is happening to me?" She whispered.

"You have magic, Sìnead," Sorehr explained, "It is a gift, but dangerous. You must learn to suppress it. Conceal it until you learn how to make it cause more help than harm, understood?"

"Yes," she stared blankly ahead.

Her mother moved to hug her, but Sìnead recoiled, "don't touch me!" Her bright eyes were rimmed with tears, "I don't want to hurt you!"

The smile on her mother's face dimmed, but Sìnead began to control her powers. The accidents lessened.

* * *

**This is the shortest one...I'll be updating frequently. **

**Have a lovely day!**

**~Lady Spindle**


	2. Danse Macabre

**The second installment...this one's a bit longer. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Danse Macabre"

* * *

Sìnead continued to grow, and soon her parents found it fit to expose her ot ther children. The neighbors had two boys about Sìnead's age and therefore were set to play in the woods.

Sìnead was nervous.

"Is it true you can control animals," Dun asked.

"Sometimes."

"Hey, make that squirrel dance," Uffish ordered.

Sìnead was scared, her parents told her to _never_ use her magic, but she wanted their acceptance more than anything.

So the squirrel danced.

In delight, Dun screamed, "make it do a jig!"

She focused on exerting her will power, but doubted an instant later, she didn't even know what a jig was! With uncertainty, the magic faltered and the squirrel dropped over.

"What's going on?" Uffish poked the squirrel, "it's dead? How could you kill it!?" He was angry.

Sìnead shrank back, "I tried...I-I'm not used to using my magic - it was an accident!"

"You're not a magician - you're a witch! A bad one too!" Dun shook a fist in her direction.

"No! I'm not! I'll prove it!"

"And kill more animals? No way, we're telling your parents!"

"No! You can't!" fear made Sìnead's vision go white. When she opened her eyes she didn't' realize she had squeezed shut, the two boys had fallen over.

"Dun? Uffish? Are you two okay?"

They did not stir.

"This isn't' funny!" She frowned and knelt by Uffish, shaking him. He still didn't stir. She pressed her fingers to his wrist and waited.

Horror rose in her throat as the truth dawned on her at last.

There was no pulse.

She had killed them both.

Sìnead ran.

She pelted through the twisted trees of the Tulgey wood, tripping over roots and disrupting beds of glowing mushrooms. BLindly stumbling, she soon reached the base of the most ancient reen in the Tulgey wood: the Tumtum tree. Sìnead ran her hand over it, admiring the striated bark smoothed by eons of weathering the harsh elements. She wilted by the base of it, cradled between arches of convoluted roots. The trees timelessness was somehow comforting.

Maybe no one would ever find her.

Then she couldn't hurt anyone else.

Being alone was safe. She didn't have to fear.

* * *

**Updates shall be often...and don't worry, it'll pick up pace soon enough. **


	3. The Monster that Killed Uffish and Dun

**The epic saga continues! **

**Just kidding. **

**My silly little fanfic continues. **

* * *

"The Monster that Killed Uffish and Dun"

* * *

When Sìnead, Uffish, and Dun didn't return, their parents set out after them, finding shortly the corpses of the neighbor boys. Still and silent, as though they were only asleep.

"What could have done this?" The boys' mother wailed.

Sorehr and Pazele knew, but could not bear to tell the truth, for both their own sakes and the neighbor's.

"The thing that killed or boys must have taken Sìnead," the father said, curbing ears of grief, "You two should look for her."

Sìnead's parents insisted upon helping take the boys back to their parent's cottage, comforting the distraught couple as they went.

"It could have been anything!" The mother wailed, "Bandersnatch, the Grimmauld, a Jubjub bird… oh please go search for your Sìnead, so perhaps she will not suffer the same fate."

Sorehr and Pazele consented, but when they returned to their home Sìnead was already there, calm, detached, gazing at the floor she appeared to address no one when she said, "it was an accident."

"An accident that should not have happened," her father admonished, "you aren't' supposed to use your powers."

"They _wanted_ me to," she said flatly, "and I _wanted_ a friend."

"Concealing your powers doesn't mean you conceal them when it's convenient. It means _always_," her mother said softly.

"Do the neighbors know?" Sìnead's voice was dead.

"No. They think a monster killed their boys and stole you. They will be _happy_ to hear your came home safe," her father added.

Sìnead nodded, "I'm going to bed." She shuffled up to her loft, avoiding contact of any type.

The next few months passed without incident. Then weeks turned into a year.

Then another.

And Sìnead turned 16.

No later had she enjoyed a dinner with her parent then a suitor appeared at their doorstep. Sìnead told him straight off she was not interested, even though years had passed, the rift she placed between herself had people had not healed.

The man, Wooblex, was persistent. He followed Sìnead back and forth from the forest when she gathered water or berries, convinced that she would grow to care about him if he only _talked_ to her.

Eventually, Sìnead grew tired of his pointless attempts to woo her. She met him at the well one morning to explain.

"Wooblex, I cannot love you."

"You keep saying this, dear Sìnead, and I won't believe you."

"You must. I cannot love or be loved. Please stop wasting your time with me," her patience wore thin.

"Now you're just why do you think you can't be loved?"

"If you knew...you'd be dead," Sìnead repressed the bile in her throat images of her past crimes swimming behind her eyes.

Wooblex looked annoyed. He had tried being kind, courteous, generous, and still she would not consider-

He stepped closer to her, "I beg you to rethink your decision."

"No," Sìnead took a step back, "stay away from me," her knuckles were white from gripping the bucket handle.

"Help me to understand," he reached a hand out.

"I cannot."

"Insolent girl! You turn your nose up at everything I have offered!" He stepped forward and Sìnead found herself backed against the well.

Sìnead looked around wildly for means of escape, finding none, she threw out one last feeble plea.

"If you come any closer, I won't be able to stop it!"

Wooblex was inches away, he leaned his face towards her, "stop what?"

"The fear," her voice quavered, but it was too late. Fear burned white at the edges of her vision, but for the first time ever, her vision didn't go white. She saw everything.

Wooblex lurched backwards, clawing at his eyes. "Get them out get them out get them out-" he kept screaming.

Sìnead was frozen, she couldn't tear her eyes away nor could she get over that fact that this was _her_ doing.

Wooblex convulsed again before going limp and dropping like a rag doll.

Sìnead didn't have to guess; she knew he was dead.

She crept to his side and dropped to his knees as a lump rose in her throat, tears began running down her cheeks. Stupid persistent man, she warned him, she tried.

She warned him. Sìnead stared at his corpse. This...this wasn't entirely her fault.

Somehow he'd had it coming.

* * *

**A first glimpse into the Jabberwocky's interesting (and confusing) fear powers. **


	4. Shrapnel

**More back story~**

* * *

"Shrapnel"

* * *

When Sìnead returned home, her parents asked how her meeting with Wooblex went.

"I killed him," she said bluntly, "he wouldn't leave me be, so he died." She walked past her stunned parents and retreated to her loft.

Later that night, her parents began discussing their options.

"Her powers are getting out of hand," her father insisted, "she's been so good...but it appears she's just been a bomb waiting to blow. We need _help_."

"She didn't' even show as much remorse today," her mother worried, "it's like she didn't care."

"We have to send her away - somewhere where she can't hurt anyone."

"Maybe if we found another magician, he or she could help Sìnead control her power!"

"Or take it away," her father added, causing her mother to nod earnestly.

"There's a peddler of tricks who passes through the Tulgey woods every few weeks or so… he mas pass through as soon as tomorrow...we can pay him to take Sìnead somewhere," Sorehr said with an air of finality.

"Yes...it's a great idea."

The couple agreed and retired for bed.

Sìnead sat upright, removing her ear from the crack she'd been eavesdropping through.

The girl heard every word.

And every word had cut her like a shard.

* * *

**This is the last short drabble, I promise. **


	5. Burn the Pages

**Warning: more death ahead. This one was really fun to write. **

* * *

"Burn the Pages"

* * *

In the morning the peddler _did_ arrive in the woods and Sìnead's parents entreated him. The moment he saw Sìnead he could sense the great power she possessed...and also that a seed of darkness had taken root. It would have to be eradicated...or she would have to be.

Sìnead crept down the stairs to see who her parent who invited in."

"Honey, this is Trevlin, he's going to take you to see the Dutches. She has people who will help you control your magic," her mother explained with a strained gentleness.

Sìnead's hazel eyes grew wide, "you're going to let him take me away?"

Pazele knelt before her, "Please...dear...you _must _learn control."

The girl's expression grew cold, "I'll never see either of you again."

"Once you're in control, we can visit you - we can be a family again."

"And we aren't now?" She exhaled, "I won't go with him. Let me stay here. Let me be alone. I won't hurt anyone else."

"That's the thing," Trevlin said uncomfortably, "I'm also here on behalf of her Highness the Duchess. If you do not come willingly I will have to take you by force."

"Why?" Sìnead demanded.

"The Dutchess is well aware of the corpse of Mr. Wooblex, a beloved subject, you left by the well yesterday, and of the two boys." He extended a hand, "come with me. you will be treated well."

"So long as I remain worth the Dutchess' time," she hissed. Sìnead didn't move. Her fists were clenched. They kept trying to help. _Nothing helped._ They wanted her to change. She _couldn't _change. Why couldn't _they_ just accept who she was? Love her unconditionally?

"Please," her parents begged.

"I will not go with him," she repeated, sounding distant, for she was trying to force back eh white fear at the edges of her vision. She could _feel_ her parent's fear.

They feared _her. _ They had _always_ feared her. They had masked their fear of her with forced love. Now they were afraid she would kill them like she had killed Dun, Uffish, and Wooblex.

Trevlin sighed, "Miss Sìnead, come with me."

Sìnead recoiled, and in the time it took to blink, the white wave of fear consumed her vision.

She blinked rapidly and found herself laying flat on her face. She picked herself up and peeked around, seeing the manifestation of her fears.

Dead on the floor lay Trevlin...and her parents.

Tears began running down her cheeks though she thought she'd long since forgotten how to cry.

Mechanically, and with no thought as to why, Sìnead stoked the fire in the stove, letting the coals spill out onto the dry floor boards. The simple task allowed her to think. _Why should she be crying? _She lit a piece of kindling and set the curtains ablaze. _The three human beings on the floor seemed almost strangers. _While the cottage began to choke with smoke, she searched Trevlin for a map. _And no matter how much they had claimed to love her..._Taking it in hand Sìnead waited outside the cottage until it was consumed with flames, leaving only when the fire began to devour the woods and cottages around the area. _They could never truly love a being so cursed. _

Uffish and Dun's parents thought their children had been killed by a _monster_…

Outside the fire's range, she began following the map to the estate of the Dutchess.

* * *

**Now we're getting to the fun stuff...**


	6. The Duchess

**This part was pretty fun to write. If anyone hasn't read ****_"Alice's Adventure in Wonderland_****" (I haven't, but I did my research)...this next chapter might be a bit confusing. It centers around the slightly antagonistic character "The Duchess" and her crazy household. If there are questions, ask or use the mighty google. **

**Enjoy~**

* * *

"The Duchess"

* * *

The frog footman burst into the Duchess' throne room so fast he barely had time to adjust his powdered wig before addressing her.

"Your Ladyship, the girl Trevlin was sent to retrieve...she's here!"

The Dutchess paused to take a deep sip of her drink before droning, "then why isn't he introducing her?" The ugly baby in her lap had begun to wail again, distracting her from the footman.

"B-because the girl said she killed him. Unintentionally, I think-"

"No one cares what you think, tell me why she isn't in here?" the Duchess was more preoccupied disciplining the wailing infant than listening.

The frog footman shifted uncomfortably in the pepper choked room, "w-well she killed Trevlin...is it really safe to invite her inside?"

"She has become a threat, so yes, _welcome_ her, frog!" the Duchess gave her baby another "well deserved" slap before shooing the footman out.

The frog nodded, shaking off some of the pepper that had settled on his head and stepped over some freshly smashed dishware. He retrieved Sìnead.

"Welcome, welcome, dear girl!" the Dutchess greeted jovially, causing her rather large jowls to swing.

Sìnead was taken aback, never in her life had she seen such a splendid hall (smashed dishes and pervasive cloud of pepper aside) - headed by a more hideous woman. Squeezed into an outfit meant for a woman half her age, the Duchess' voluminous chins splayed over the high furled collar of her gown, scrunching up her saggy cheeks. Her ears and pig nose were too comically large to be in proportion, and her little beady eyes stared through puffy lids. The few remaining strands of hair on her head were primped and powdered excessively, they strained to hold up a large headdress.

"You will bow before stateing your business," she sniffed, nearly sneezing, gross pig nose scrunching to look more like a pig.

Sìnead made a bow at her waist and announced, "I am Sìnead of the Tulgey Woods, I am here on behalf of your man Trevlin to learn to control m powers."

"Is it true he is dead?" She pried.

"Yes. He perished alongside my parents as a result of my magic," she spoke unflinchingly.

"Very well, tomorrow you will start your training," the Duchess motioned or one of the frog footmen to lead Sìnead away.

As she exited, a plate shattered above her head, followed by several subsequent crashes of ill aimed dishware. The hurler was a disheveled looking chef who clutched a pepper grinder under her arm. This was indeed a curious place.

The room Sìnead was lead into felt more like a prison cell than a bedroom, the walls were a cold gray with a high arching ceiling leading to gothic windows around the top. The only furnishing were a chair, small table, cot and a basin from which a spring of clear water flowed. Sìnead couldn't complain: they hadn't put her in chains like a common murderer, they had agreed to help, and despite the oddities, the Duchess was somewhat accommodating.

She would get used to the scent of pepper, and the sound of a wailing babies and shattering dishes.

* * *

**Only 5 drabbles left in the story...we've breached the halfway point. **


	7. Another Sorcerer

**I just love writing about the Duchess' crazy household. **

* * *

"Another Sorcerer"

* * *

The next few weeks flew in a blur. Sìnead was faced by days of absolute activity and days where she saw no one at all. The Duchess' manor was full of wonders...the crazy chef who used _way_ too much pepper, the numerous frog footmen, and a mysterious cat who seemed to disappear into thin air. Sìnead could have been happy, but she still had the burden of magic, preventing her from enjoying the manor.

She made slow progress; uncertainties preventing her from truly making bounds towards control. As the days slipped by, her teacher grew more more impatient. He had begun to realize that Sìnead was holding herself back.

"You must try harder!" The sorcerer raged.

Sìnead shook her head, "I can't."

"Do you know what happens when you don't learn to control yourself?"

She shook her head.

"The Duchess will have you turned into a frog footman, or worse: a pig."

Sìnead glared at him, "and do you know what will become of your if I lose grip? You will _die_."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a fact," she said, without malice or concern.

The sorcerer frowned, "Try the next exercise."

Sìnead scowled and turned her attention to the frog footman who she was to be her 'guinea pig'. She raised her hands to command him and hesitated. In his wide, glassy eyes she could see her own fearful face reflected.

"I won't control this creature."

"You _must_. If you can fine tune your ability enough to control a single being, you will be in control."

Sìnead focused on the frog a moment longer, then lashed her will power onto the sorcerer."

"_You_ will no longer teach me," her voice was like ice.

The sorcerer muttered a spell of protection a moment too late before Sìnead's magic pressed against his mind. Like the rest, he crumpled.

"Tell the Duchess I need a new teacher," Sìnead ordered the frog footman who obeyed without question.

An instant after he'd gone, Sìnead knelt beside the boy and sighed.

"I didn't want this to happen to you. But you people never learn until it's too late." Her eyes were sad.

As she waited for the Duchess to arrive, a gray and blue striped cat padded through the room wherein she practiced magic.

"Fine day for a nap," he said, gazing at Sìnead with eerie amber eyes.

"He's not napping," she regarded the cat warily.

"That's a pity," the cat smiled, the corners of its mouth lifting into a disturbingly large grin.

"Who are you?"

"Who is anyone?" The cat continued to leer.

Sìnead watched in amazement as the gray stripes began to fade, starting at its tail. The blue stripes gradually followed until nothing but its leering grin and glowing eyes remained.

A moment later, even these had vanished.

Sìnead didn't have time to ponder the strange feline because the door to the room swung open, accompanied by the blare of trumpets, four frog footmen in crisp powdered wigs and blazers, the crazy chef, and a pair of pis carrying a palanquin with the Duchess balanced haphazardly atop.

"You there, girl, what do you mean in giving _me_ an order?!" The Duchess seemed more annoyed that Sìnead had ordered her to do something than the fact the sorcerer was dead.

"I meant no disrespect?" Sìnead offered.

"Well, I am offended."

"Aren't you upset about the sorcerer?"

"He was annoying," she paused dramatically, "you shall have another."

* * *

**Fun Fact: The Duchess is described as someone who oscillates between a very childish demeanor and someone quite cruel. **


	8. Vote of Execution

**Sinead's descent**

"Vote of Execution"

* * *

And thus began a string of sorcerers that went to work with Sìnead. The next tried to get her to control her powers, the next few went the route of suppression. After that, the fifth and sixth sorcerers began giving Sìnead experimental tonics and potions to suppress or eliminate her powers.

Nothing worked, and as usual once the sorcerers grew impatient, they would push Sìnead a tick too far, ending in their instant demise.

With each death, Sìnead crept farther into herself, growing more fearful of her magic, but feeling less and less towards the fallen musicians.

When the eight died, she barely felt a tremor.

The Duchess was at her wit's end, in contrast to Sìnead, with each death she grew more agitated. Not only was she losing fine magicians to a dangerous youth, the girl was becoming increasingly desensitized. As a result of the body count that piled her on a weekly basis, the Duchess had begun to receive complaints from relatives, demanding an execution! This who mattered, combined with the pervasive pepper cloud had turned into a migraine.

_Also_, the Duchess bemoaned, the chef had gotten into her fine china and smashed a gorgeous gravy dish before someone stopped her and her baby would not stop squalling. THe piggies at her feet weren't even that warm either…

Finally, the Duchess called her closest advisors around her. The Cheshire Cat, the Chef, her newest sorcerer, and the head frog footman. She proposed the idea to execute Sìnead.

The Chef was the only one against it (she had no qualms with the girl). THe new sorcerer was completely for execution (Fearing for his own life, no doubt), as was the footman (fearing for his fellow frogs), the Duchess was also for it (sick and tired of the hullabaloo surrounding the brat). The Cheshire Cat answered evasively as always, "well perhaps we should...but then again, perhaps we oughtn't.

All for the proposition broke off to discuss a method of execution that wouldn't end in any of their demises. The Cheshire Cat floated above their heads, eavesdropping until the Duchess shooed him off.

"Ohoohoo," he laughed hoarsely, "but don't you want to hear _my_ idea?"

"Tell us!" The Duchess snapped.

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't," he chuckled, vanishing.

"One of you!" The Duchess motioned to no one in particular, "find that cat and bring him to me!"

And so, while everyone else discussed clever ways to kill off Sìnead, the 9th sorcerer was tasked with catching a vanishing cat for the rest of the afternoon.

He returned in the evening, frazzled, dusty, and catless. The Duchess fired him promptly, but he didn't particularly care. Even for a Wonderland native, the Duchess' abode was a shade too topsy turvy for his taste.

Late that night, the Duchess was dozing on her throne, for she'd left her baby snoring loudly in her own bed (much to her annoyance, but this way she didn't have to hear it wail when it awoke). It was then that the Cheshire Cat appeared atop the throne, tickling the Duchess' nose with his bushy tail.

"Slurking urpal slackush scrum!" She yelped a string of most dirty words.

"No need to be alarmed," he chortled, "tis only I."

"What have you to say you vile- thing!"

"Oh, just a bit of juicy information about my plan," he bent his face in front of the Duchess'

"Go on…"

"You've surely realized you cannot dispose of the girl with any conventional method, yes?" The Duchess nodded, "so…I've devised a simple plan to trick her into her own demise."

She smiled, making terrible wrinkles in her voluminous chins, "I'm listening…"

* * *

**The plot thickens...**


	9. Quest of Redemption

**Two chapters left before the end!**

* * *

"Quest of Redemption"

* * *

Sìnead could sense something was happening, no one had come to her door all day; not even for meals. She didn't particularly care however, she had preoccupied herself with feeling miserable, sitting in her chair, and gazing deeply into the mirror across the way.

She barely recognized herself. The face in the mirror was a woman, haunted eyes rimmed with dark circles, long blondish brown hair hung lank, and her pale face was drawn with untold amounts of fear and worry.

It had to have been past midnight when a hoarse humming echoed around her chamber. Sìnead looked around wildly for the source, and found herself face to face with the same cat from earlier. He materialized onto her dresser and regarded the girl with a jovial grin.

"Good evening Sìnead," he mock bowed.

"What are you doing here?" Suspicion clouded her voice.

"Me? I came to help you, as a _friend_."

"Why haven't you come before?" She asked coldly.

"Because there's never been a real _need_."

Sìnead raised an eyebrow.

"You see, I overheard some nasty news from the Duchess. It appears you've finally outstayed your usefulness and she wants to get rid of you."

Sìnead's eyes widened, "I have to get out of here."

"That's why _I'm_ here," the cat grinned, "I have a plan. There is a "Heart of Darkness" in Wonderland. It's very dangerous...no one dares to destroy it, or even try. But you, you with your...skillset… you might have a shot at destroying the Heart of Darkness. Then, you'll have redeemed yourself - you'll return a hero and I'm certain the Duchess will let you stay. "

"Really? W-when do we leave?" Sìnead couldn't believe her ears.

"Right now."

Feeling almost giddy, Sìnead followed the cat out the window, expertly scaling the wall of the manor down into the forest below.

She hadn't seen much of Wonderland - only the Tulgey Wood and the Duchess's Manor.

So stepping into the splendor of this forest finally made Wonderland live up to its name.

"Where are we?" she breathed.

"The Caterpillar's woods."

"Who?"

"Don't worry about it," the Cheshire Cat grumbled, "you're better off having never met him."

Sìnead turned her attention to the beauty of the forest. Spotted mushrooms rose to the skies, enormous flowers with oddly human faces swayed in a midnight breeze.

"What are these?" Sìnead asked when a strange bug landed on her outstretched hand.

"Bread and butterflies, watch out for the dragon flies, they can be quite the scorchers." The Cheshire cat wrinkled his nose at a passing bug.

It seemed like no time had passed before the cat announced, "we're here."

Sìnead peered out and saw a gaping black chasm a few yards in front of them.

"Is this the place?"

"That it is," the cat peered over the edge, "the Heart of Darkness is at the bottom."

"How do I get there?" Sìnead's eyes widened.

"You'll have to jump - don't worry, the chasm is magical, it'll break your fall."

Sìnead nodded and steeled herself. She was terrified, but somehow, the promise of redemption burned stronger than fear.

She stepped over the edge and felt a gut wrenching rush as she plummeted. Just as the cat had promised, her momentum slowed several yards above the ground. Sìnead landed in several inches of soft ash. Blinking rapidly, her eyes adjusted to the dim light. The chasm was empty; devoid of life. Sìnead peered around, trying to make sense of the vacant environment. Where was the Heart of Darkness?

"Cat!" She screamed, "where is it?"

A hoarse laughter echoed down from the mouth.

"Do you know what this place is?" the cat mocked, his carefree tone has morphed into something cruel, "It's the Pit of Despair. Only the Pure of Heart can cross, and you, girlie, are most certainly not. The only thing at the bottom is the bones of others who thought they could cross and your own darkest fears," he laughed more.

"You tricked me!" Sìnead screamed, finally glimpsing the cat's gleaming amber gaze.

"I'll send your regards to the Duchess - no one survives their inner demons - least of all a monster like you."

The cat disappeared.

Sìnead was utterly alone.

* * *

**Up next = climax**

**PS, anyone remember the episode where Alice tried to cross that chasm? **


	10. Inner Demons

**And finally...the moment we've all been waiting for...**

* * *

Inner Demons

* * *

Sìnead sank to the ground, defeated, despairing. She couldn't escape this - she would die here - just like the cat wanted.

Just like everyone always wanted.

To get rid of the _beast_.

Uffish and Dun _had_ been killed by a monster.

She was the _monster_, always had been…

"Always will be," Sìnead said aloud, matter of fact.

And slowly, the truth dawned on her: her whole life she'd allowed herself to be ruled by fear - she'd let it consume her and force her into submission, when really, the whole time, _she_ should have been the one controlling the fear.

No. Not controlling it. Ruling it. She shouldn't fear herself, everyone else should fear her.

Sìnead recalled all the times she had inadvertently used her magic and reached inside someone and seen all of their innermost fears - how each time she killed someone they died not because of her, but rather because of their own crippling insecurities.

The girl stood, glancing around the cavern. As her eyes adjusted to the light, everything the cat had said began to make sense. There _was_ a Heart of Darkness in Wonderland...but not in the physical sense. The Heart existed _deep inside each and every person._ Some ignored it. Some tried to fight it. Some used it for petty gains. But Sìnead...Sìnead decided to _embrace_ it. She searched deep inside herself for the Darkness, where it lay sleeping inside her heart...and let it flow free.

Almost instantly, a transformation began to take place; she convulsed, hands clutched over her heart. As the Darkness settled in, all remaining light was pushed out. Sìnead stumbled back, clawing at her heart, for a hilt had begun to protrude therefrom. She yanked at the hilt and from her blackening heart she withdrew the only thing that could hold her back: her goodness. A goodness that had manifested itself into the shape of a curved blade, forged of a sleek, indestructible metal: vorpal.

Her only weakness.

She flung the blade aside, "well that's certainly a weight off my chest." her voice had become harsh and cold, " Are you still there, cat?"

The eyes reappeared at the mouth of the cavern; the cat had been watching in horror as the girl manifested herself into a truly monstrous form: an outside to match her inside. Rather than being destroyed by the darkness, it had emboldened her.

And she wasn't finished.

"It feels so nice, cat," she sighed, stretching upward as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Her features warped grotesquely, metamorphosizing into something vaguely reptilian. The change rippled over her entire body, flesh turned to scale, membraneous wings burst from her shoulder blades, and a whip-like tail curled about her taloned feet.

"Uh, hey, um, Sìnead," the cat flailed, "it wasn't personal…"

"Jabber jabber jabber, listen to all your silly words," she crooned, chimera voice all at once grating and shrieking. "I'm not Sìnead. That pathetic, trembling girl doesn't exist anymore. I do."

She was rather enjoying probing the cat's mind for it's terribly apparent fears.

Spreading her wings, she rocketed towards the mouth of the chasm, landing with a violent thud before the cat.

"Shh, shh, kitty, I'm not going to kill you. I need you to deliver a message...to the Duchess."

"And..what might that be?"

"Tell her...I'm coming...but not right away. You see, the nice thing about fear is that...time only seems to sow it deeper. Run along, cat, and enjoy your mistress while you still can."

The cat turned, dropping all pretense of vanishing, and began to run through the Caterpillar's forest.

"I shall see you soon," she cackled.

She allowed herself to shrink back down to human form and noted the physical changes that had taken place in a clear pool. Scaly markings decorated her eyes which had turned brilliant and reptilian. Her hair had become tangled and platinum, intermixed with a couple sections of rich brown locks. Her teeth were sharpened, from pointed incisors to protruding fangs, she had quite the wicked grin. With nails curled like claws, she raked a fist across the surface of the pool, distorting the image. WIth a smile she stood and began walking in no particular direction. She could have Wonderland on its knees if she chose.

Ahead, the cat scrambled back to its mistress.

"Send my regards to the Duchess," she called after it, sardonically.

* * *

**What do you think about her "glorious" transformation?**


	11. The Queen of Hearts' Proposition

**Finally, the epilogue. **

"The Queen of Hearts' Proposition"

* * *

The elegant woman found her person of interest avidly tearing apart the mind of one of her guards - the one she had sent out as bait to draw this rare beast out.

Cora wasn't expecting Wonderland's elusive shadow beast to be a young woman. She had disposed of the guard effortlessly...without a weapon. Intrigued, the Queen of Hearts cleared her throat.

The girl's head jerked to attention, white hair falling in streaks across her face and shoulders. She narrowed glowing hazel eyes at the Queen, pupils shrinking to slits.

"Hello dear," the Queen of Hearts greeted.

"Who are you?" She straightened, the feathers of her cowl rustling as she moved. Her motions were smooth and lithe like a feline.

"The Queen of Hearts," she curtsied shallowly, "but I'm more interested in who _you_ are."

"So you've heard of me," she cast a glance at the dead guard, "I suppose _he_ was your special touch?"

"Perceptive, aren't you," Cora smiled.

"You knew the risk, then, coming here. Few people cross me and live."

"Well then, we have something in common."

She tilted her head inquisitively.

"Now that I have your attention, I didn't come here to fight you or kill you, you're much too valuable for that." The Queen of Hearts took a step closer, "I came with a proposition."

"Like what?"

"I find myself in need of a mercenary, and who better to hire than someone of your efficient caliber? In exchange for your services, I will give you a place in my court, and the opportunity to make good use of your...unique skill set."

"You're not like other people," the girl's gaze bored into the queen, disregarding the question, "I can't...get a read on you… your fears...are hidden from me."

"I think I may know the answer to that conundrum," the Queen chuckled, "you see, I don't have a heart."

"The Queen of Hearts doesn't have a heart," she replied dryly.

"If I am to be Queen of them, why should I be burdened by my own heart?"

"I see," she seemed to weigh her response, "though I do not like that your inner thoughts are shrouded from me, and a place in your court does not interest me...I accept your offer. I will be your mercenary."

"Excellent," she smiled again, secretly relishing in the fact that the girl could not use her powers against her.

"What is your name? Your _real _name," the girl queried.

The Queen regarded the girl, "It's Cora. I still don't know your name, either." She motioned for the girl to begin following her down the path back to her palace.

She looked the queen in the eye and stood to her full height. Even though she could not harm the Queen, Cora stepped back. In a voice barely above a whisper, she proclaimed:

"I am known as the Jabberwocky."

**And that's the end. I'm not gonna lie, I'm liking the story less and less with each installment...it feels flat and underdeveloped...it doesn't do an epic character like the Jabberwocky justice...like a rough draft. So I'll probably be revising it with a better, more complex version at a later date. This will stay up though, I'm not going to remove it...yet. **

**Until later, **

**Lady Spindle**


End file.
